FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Submitted by Steve Cooper

For flooring to be great, there must be a host of reasons for buying it. Your new floor must be gorgeous. It has to keep your feet smiling as you walk across it. It has to promise durability. But, ultimately, there has to be one overriding, deal-making reason for forking over the cash. For most us—the folks with pets, kids, occasional spills, and problems with grimy shoes—first on the list of gotta-have qualities is cleanliness. If a floor won’t be super easy to maintain, it won’t be easy to live with. A new entry in the vinyl flooring category hits all the right notes: Armstrong StrataMax floors.

Stratamax comes in 60 stone and wood looks that feature vibrant colors, natural textures, and visually realistic looks. It also has a patented wear surface called CleanSweep that is engineered to make your life easier. It needs no waxing, polishing, or buffing, and will resist stains from mustard, shoe polish, lipstick, and even driveway sealants (should they be tracked in). Sweeping or light vacuuming and an occasional wash is all that’s needed to keep the surface spotless.

There are, of course, other strengths. StrataMax is soft and forgiving under foot, yet it won’t tear, rip, gouge, or indent during normal household use. And it has earned FloorScore Certification through the Resilient Floor Covering Institute. This means it will meet or exceed low emissions standards and will not adversely affect indoor air quality. It even qualifies for some LEED points when building an environmentally friendly house.

StrataMax is one of the flooring greats—easy to live with, particularly in kitchens and baths.

Question:  I am looking for a floral pattern linoleum and can not find it – any ideas?

Answer:  I understand why you had a hard time narrowing in on a linoleum with a floral pattern.  Current styles are moving in a different direction, but there are several options in sheet vinyl that might suit your needs.  The designs include florals, in a subtle, updated look.  You should log on to www.armstrong.com/flooring/products/sheet vinyl.  When you arrive at that page, you will find a box for an advanced search.  Type in “floral” and you should see eight selections to choose from.  I found Floral Medallion, Floral Blossom, and Floral Diamond to be very attractive.  Good luck and thanks for turning to Floor Talk for help.

Annette